HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Metal Gear Solid: V

It’s on my BOTY list again because, yes, it still deserves the accolades. A lot open-world of games go wide with maps, quests and collectables but few games go as deep as MGSV. All the interacting systems, base building, mission design, story… they all combine to make this one of the best games ever made.

Intravenous 2

You could call this “Hotline Miami but stealth” and you’d be mostly right. I only just started this game and I am already loving it’s stealth mechanics. It also presents so many choices to the player on how to complete a level and I really love that.

The story is meh and clumsily paced but again, I haven’t finished it. And really, I‘m here for the stealth gameplay.

Escape from Tarkov: SPT

I talked a lot this year about Tarkov and the single-player modding project Single-Player Tarkov. I played a ton of this game this year but I struggle to put it on the the list proper because it is still so completely unfinished. If you are looking for a hardcore, modern military PC shooter intentionally designed down to every cantankerous minutiae this is a game for you.

RPG Maker MZ

There is definitely going to be a full post on this game sometime in the future but I have absolutely fallen in love with this …..game(?). As a creative outlet for my brain it tickles all the right spots; art, writing and learning new skills.

The baked in tutorial is not great but this video series by Lvl Up Design has really helped me get started.

BattleTech

I didn’t want to put this on my Top Physicals list so I’m putting it here!

Table-top-miniature BattleTech is a game that takes a lot of skill, a lot of knowledge but also has elements of absolutely insane randomness. Unlike in games like Mario Party, randomness in BT always feels fair and earned. It’s like what I talk about in Escape from Tarkov all the time: You can have the best build, best strategy but sometimes all it takes is one lucky bullet to end your day. I love that.

If you want to get a taste of the wild charts of randomness available in this game watch Four Hands on Deck’s very very nerdy actual play beginners guide.

Top Games of 2024

Caves of Qud

CoQ just released into 1.0 on December 5th after over 10 years of development and it is well worth the wait. I’ve heard of this game for ages but fearing it would be too obtuse and require a ton of memorization of abstract controls, I put off playing until this earlier year where I almost instantly fell in love. It’s sense of discovery, unique setting and deep lore kept me engaged for hours as I fully role-played my character. I even drew my character, something I haven’t done in years.

The elation at every small iota of progression creates this almost endless feeling of accomplishment. Mechanically rich enough to keep me coming back but simple enough to get me started, I’m excited to play more.

Everspace 2

A game that took the bones of the original and improved on them in almost every aspect.

The original, constrained by it’s roguelike elements, didn’t allow the player to fully explore the beautiful environments. Everspace 2 is more of a traditional RPG. The attack and loot gameplay loop had me searching every last nook and cranny of these beautifully designed maps.

Space Marine 2

I cannot, as a long-time 40k fan, describe the coolness of Space Marine 2.

The gameplay is straight forward, the weapons are -aside form their unique 40k lore flair- fairly rote for 3rd person shooters and the maps are linear and minimally explorable.

Yet it works. The violent grandeur of eons of fascism depicted in every scene makes a fan like me giddy at every turn. This is the perfect 7/10 game.

Helldivers 2

It is a testament to Helldivers 2’s design that a multiplayer only game has ended up as one of my favorites of the year.

The chaos of the physics engine, the butt-clinchingly huge explosions, the particular and fussy controls all add up to make even the simplest of missions feel like an epic survival. No matter what, a mission never goes as planned and that is the key to emergent gameplay and stories. Truly a great game.

And its amazing, I’ve put a lot of hours into this game and I’m still not tired of the mission start music.

So there you have it! The Metal Monday Top of the Tippy Top of 2024!

As always, thank you so much to those who read and we will resume regular programming on January 6th 2025. See you there!